This invention relates to specialty lighting and, more particularly to a lamp securable to a pet collar to increase the visibility of the pet at night or in low lighting conditions.
It is well known in the prior art to attach devices such as reflectors and lights to pets to make them more visible in the dark, for the convenience of the owner as well as for the safety of the pet. For example U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,145 to Roberts (xe2x80x9cthe Roberts ""145 Patentxe2x80x9d) discloses a light apparatus fastened to a pet""s collar having a battery, connected to an electric lamp and a switch. The disclosed configuration of the Roberts ""145 Patent permits the device to move freely on the collar, tending toward an orientation favored by gravity. A contrasting approach is taken in U.S. Pat. No. 5,535,106 to Tangen (xe2x80x9cthe Tangen ""106 Patentxe2x80x9d) wherein a plurality of self-contained light emitting devices are spaced at intervals and affixed to the collar by a fastener.
Although devices of this kind provide concerned pet owners with an added margin of safety when used, their current configurations have several shortcomings. Light emitting elements that are bright enough to be useful tend to be large to allow room for adequate batteries. Those that are lighter and smaller are more likely to be obscured by fur and are either relatively dim or drain their power sources quickly. Additionally, the current designs are not suited to be worn in rainy weather or when a pet is swimming. As a result, current lighted collar designs are not adapted to be worn continuously or comfortably by the pets they are designed to protect. It is therefore likely that an owner will overlook or misplace the collar when it is needed.
Accordingly there is a need for a lighted collar for pets that is sufficiently visible, weather resistant, comfortable for extended wear by the pet and is not obscured by fur.
The present invention is directed to light emitting units for mounting on a collar for pets, especially dogs, cats and horses. The light emitting units have a housing with a base and a lens. The base is an open-ended container having within it the power source, control circuitry including an electric switch and one or more electric light sources, preferably light emitting diodes (LEDs). Attached to the outside of the base is a slider box for slidable and secure attachment to a pet collar. The lens is translucent and is adapted to be attached to the base to form an enclosed housing.
In a preferred embodiment of the light emitting unit, a circuit board is mounted inside the base. LEDs are electrically connected the circuit board which connects them to a control circuit having a switch and a battery. Given the low power requirements of an LED, two small xe2x80x9cwatch batteriesxe2x80x9d can provide adequate power for three LEDs. The resulting circuit is compact, consumes relatively little power and has a relatively high light output. The lens is made of translucent material, such as plastic, and is designed to snap onto the base, enclosing the circuit components within the base. A switch hole is disposed through the lens to permit an actuator, such as a small plastic actuator pin, to pass into the housing and to be held in place to engage the switch, turning the circuit on and off.
In another preferred embodiment the light emitting unit is made watertight by introducing a rubber gasket such as an o-ring between the lens and the base so that the seal formed therebetween is watertight. In accordance with this embodiment, the switch hole may also be rendered watertight.
One possible approach is to mount the actuator pin in a flexible rubber-like cap pressed into a watertight engagement with the switch hole. The pin moves slightly as pressure is applied to the cap, said movement being transmitted to the switch via the actuator pin. The switch on the circuit board is preferably a momentary contact or xe2x80x9cmembrane-typexe2x80x9d switch that requires very little movement to actuate, and the control circuit is therefore preferably designed to switch to an on or off state in response to this momentary input. Other approaches, however, may be employed that provide similar functionality while retaining a watertight character.
In a further embodiment, a friction strip is attached onto the base near the slider box to increase the sliding friction of the light emitting unit relative to the collar. The friction strip prevents the light emitting unit from sliding along the collar on its own due to the movement of the pet, and the force of gravity. This is especially necessary in cases where multiple light emitting units are used on a single collar, to ensure that the spacing of the units remains fixed relative to each other. By preventing the light emitting units from xe2x80x9cbunching upxe2x80x9d or moving to the same place on the collar, it is more likely that at least one light emitting unit will be in a location on the collar where it can be seen. Permitting secure reorientation by the pet owner allows the light emitting units to be distributed optimally on the collar.
In a further embodiment, a reflector plate is added within the housing of the light emitting unit behind the electric light sources to reflect more of the light generated by the unit through the lens. The reflector provides the additional advantage of reflecting any light that is directed into the light emitting unit, such as that from automobile headlights, back out where it can be seen. In this way, the reflector can be used in combination with more efficient lighting to conserve battery life, and in the case of a dead battery, malfunctioning unit, or in case the unit is turned off, ensure that some measure of visibility is preserved.
In still another embodiment, parallel grooves are disposed in the lens to scatter light passing out of the light emitting unit to increase visibility from all angles of view. Parallel grooves may be disposed in the reflector as well, for example in a direction perpendicular to the grooves disposed in the lens to further enhance the scattering of the light from the unit.
In still another embodiment, the light emitting units are attached to a collar having a means for attaching a lead. According to this embodiment, the collar may itself be made of reflective material to further enhance the visibility of the wearer. Furthermore, light emitting units can be disposed on the lead.